Usage Based Billing and New Service Packages
The following describes certain changes to the Terms of Service (TOS) applicable to your plan, necessitated by the requirement that EntirelyDigital pass on usage based billing practices of certain DSL providers. Continuous use of your services will be considered agreement with those changes to the TOS and your service plan. If you do not agree with the changes to the TOS your sole remedy is to call us, cancel all the EntirelyDigital services to which you subscribed, stop using all of the services and terminate your Agreement with EntirelyDigital. If you do not agree with the changes to your high-speed Internet service plan, your sole remedy is to stop using the service and terminate your Agreement with EntirelyDigital with regard to that service. In such case you may consider signing up for another, more suitable, plan.
Important Changes to your EntirelyDigital High Speed DSL Internet service
Recently the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) rendered a decision allowing incumbent carriers, such as Bell Canada, to introduce Usage Based Billing (UBB) on the wholesale high-speed access services that EntirelyDigital requires to provide its own DSL-based high-speed Internet services. These charges are billed to EntirelyDigital based on EntirelyDigital end customer connections.
Since EntirelyDigital will incur additional usage-based costs in order to provide Residential DSL High-Speed Internet services to customers in Ontario and Quebec, we will implement UBB on all of our Residential DSL High Speed Internet services in Ontario and Quebec effective March 1, 2011.
Frequently Asked Questions
1. What is Usage Based Billing (UBB)?
Usage Based Billing (UBB) is an increasingly controversial charge that is virtually unique to Canada, and makes consumers pay artificially high amounts for downloading and uploading content via the Internet. With UBB your High Speed Internet usage will be measured and capped to a set monthly limit. Additional usage will be charged extra.
2. Why is EntirelyDigital implementing Usage Based Billing for residential High Speed DSL Internet customers?
On January 25, 2011, the CRTC rendered a decision allowing incumbent carriers, such as Bell Canada, to introduce UBB on the wholesale high-speed access services that EntirelyDigital employs to provide its own DSL-based high-speed Internet services in Ontario and Quebec, effective March 1, 2011. The introduction of UBB by those carriers effectively forces EntirelyDigital to pass those additional costs to its Residential DSL High-Speed Internet customers.
3. What is the CRTC?
The CRTC is an independent public authority that regulates and supervises broadcasting and telecommunications in Canada.
4. When will these changes be implemented?
Commencing March 1st 2011, your existing “up to 5 Mbps High Speed Internet” plan will now have 25GB (gigabytes) of monthly usage included. Your usage will be calculated from the first through the last day of each calendar month.
5. How can I see and track my Internet usage?
We are currently working on a tool that will allow you to monitor your usage.
6. How many gigabytes (GB) do different online activities use?
1GB of usage will allow you to do the following things (approximate measurements)
- View 26,000 web pages or
- Send/receive 105,000 e-mails or
- Exchange over 2,000 Microsoft Word documents (of about 10 pages each) or
- Exchange up to 500 digital photos or
- Download more than 200 songs or
- Stream 18 hours of music from the web or
- Download 1.5 movies (or 2/3 of a movie in high definition) or
- Play games online for 240 hours (or 10 days)
7. How do I determine the approximate amount of gigabytes (GB) I will need?
If you have never verified your household usage or if you are a new customer, you may not know your average monthly usage. Below is a table that may help you estimate potential usage based on your intended activity:
Intended Internet Activity
Average Monthly Usage
Primarily use email combined with a light amount of web surfing.
< 25GB
Moderate web surfing, occasional file sharing, online shopping and email.
< 25GB
Extensive web surfing, sharing music, video streaming, downloading and playing games, online shopping and email. Power users that use multiple computers, smartphones, and game consoles at the same time.
Potentially > 25GB
8. What are my options?*
In response to the implementation of UBB, EntirelyDigital had devised new usage plans tailored to your intended Internet activity and we’ve also introduced Insurance.
9. How does the Insurance Option work?
Insurance above the "Base Usage" amount for your selected package is a recurring subscription fee that provides you with additional monthly usage. Additional usage bought within a calendar month using an Insurance Option is not carried over into the next month.
The insurance blocks are offered in four levels:
- The first three levels of insurance each provide monthly usage above the "Base Usage" amount in 40 GB increments at a monthly cost of $4.75 per increment. For example, if you wish to have 120GB of additional usage each month (level three), you would pay for three increments of insurance at $4.75 each. This would be a total of $14.25 of insurance per month on top of the "Flat Monthly Price"
- The fourth level of insurance provides you with a maximum of 300GB of monthly usage for a total monthly insurance cost of $55.00 above the "Flat Monthly Price". Note that for the fourth level of insurance, you do not need to have first purchased the prior three levels.
Insurance purchased after the start of a calendar month is prorated for both cost and available usage based on the calendar date. Insurance upgrades are applied to accounts effective immediately. Insurance downgrades to accounts are effective as of the next billing date. For insurance at the 300 GB level, prorating is not available. The entire package amount must be pre-paid for the given calendar month regardless of when the package is purchased during the month.
10. Will I be notified when I approach and reach the usage limit of my plan?
If you reach 75% of your available usage for a calendar month, EntirelyDigital will notify you via your browser that you are approaching your usage limit.
When you reach your available usage limit for a calendar month, EntirelyDigital will notify you via your browser and reduce the speed of your connection to 64kbps. At this time you will be asked to contact us to review your account.
11. Can I buy additional usage every now and then, instead of upgrading my package on a going forward basis?
No, insurance needs to be pre-purchased for your upcoming month.
12. Will I be billed for all of the usage associated with my telephone line(s)?
Yes, you will be billed for all usage originating from your telephone line(s).
13. Is there anything we can do (as customers) to fight this? / Can you point out some petitions or effective courses of action?
If you would like to get further involved here are some links you can visit to make your thoughts known and to participate:
- www.stopthemeter.ca (signing the petition will now automatically send our Minister of Industry, Tony Clement (the person politically responsible for the CRTC) an email.
- Join the twitter campaign at http://act.ly/2kw
- Join the Facebook campaign http://www.facebook.com/notes/openmediaca/stop-the-meter-on-your-internet-use/455248704798
14. How can I contact EntirelyDigital?
To contact us:
By Mail: 1210-3044 Bloor ST W Toronto ON M8X2Y8
By Telephone: 416-445-2332
By Fax: 416-981-7134
